The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-10-26

AT the time of his services on the
farm Wiggin had taken quite fancy
to Nancy, and to show his goodwill to
the girl he did not bind her like the
rest. She was sent to the cellar for the
wine. The colonel, though not
drinker himself, kept plenty of liquor
for the use of the company, like the
old-time grandees. When he died
there was more than a hogshead of
West India rum in his cellar and bot
ties and bottles of Madeira.
AS / said, Nancy was sent to get
the liquor, and she used no stint. She
brought it up by the gallon, and talked
and laughed, and drank herself when
she saw any slackening on the part OF
the enemy. She was playing a game,
and she did not mean to lose. Before
morning Wiggn and his Indians were
as drunk as you please, and were easily
managed by the colonel and his help,
who were released by the brave girl at
the earliest possible moment. Whipple
delivered his prisoners into the custody
of the state government, who, several
months afterwards, were exchanged
with the British.
Grandmother always would have it
that Colonel Whipple meant to adopt
Nancy. | don't know how true that
was. He had no daughter and his only
son died at an early age. No doubt he
thought a great deal of her, and he
might eventually have made her his
heiress. AS it was, he was prevented
from doing so by the tragic death of the
young girl
81 think it was the next summer
after Nancy's brilliant exploit with the
Indians that a man named Kit Farleigh
engaged in the colonel's service. Who
he was and where he came from no.
body ever Just knew. He claimed to
have been British soldier taken
prisoner by Stark at Bennington, and
said that he had been so well treated
that he meant to stay among the Ameri-
cans and not 90 back into service. But
nearly everybody thought he was a de-
serter from the American army AS
he was Industrious, and disposed to
mind his own business, nobody took it
upon themselves to hunt up his past
life, and he remained through the sea-
son at the great house.
d" Kit had the ways of a gentleman,
and, being plausible and oily-tongued,
he soon made friends with Nancy. He
gave her a helping hand about the
chores when his own labors did not
conflict and was so kind and courteous
that the girls heart was won before
she knew it. Sometime in September
she announced to the household that she
was going to marry Farlegh the coming
winter.
"Colonel Whipple and his wife did
all they could to discourage the mar
riage, but their opposition only seemed
to strengthen the girls decision. She
was completely infatuated. She even
gave into her lovers keeping her little
stock of money.
" Before the end of October the
| young woman was called to Lancaster
to visit sick friend who had formerly
worked in the colonel's family. Be-
fore her departure she and Farleigh
| had arranged that on her return they
should proceed together to Portsmouth,
where they were to be married, and
where he claimed to have a friend who
had promised him employment.
"The woods were all bare and brown,
and the first snow had fallen when
Nancy came back to the great house.
| Colonel Whipple met her in the door
way with grave face.
SO He has gone, the villainn he said
and he left no word, save that sudden
| business called him to Portsmouth,
"' He might have waited for me-
she answered, with a sudden flush; but
J of course he would if he could have
/ done so. The dear fellow, he has gone
] To oh | WI
not keep him waiting. If l can have
bit of something to eat and a nights
lodging
"'Whatl you are not going after that
scamp? exclaimed the colonel.
''' | shall start in the morning. she
answered, calmly. He will be waiting
for me-
Z" In vain the family tried to dissuade
her from the journey, but she persisted
in her design, and though snow was
falling and heavy wind signing over
the mountains, the infatuated girl
wrapped herself in long cloak and
started out in the storm over that lonely
path through the Notch to Bartlett.
"That was the last ever seen of her
alive" continued my narrator "That
winter was terrible for its severe cold.
Snow fell to the depth of several feet
and the very sky seemed to glisten with
frost. The path through the Notch
was filled with drifted snow. No one
passed that way for several weeks.
zone February day a party of hunt
ers set out from Bartlett, following the
track of deer that their hounds had
scented up along the route. At night
they halted and pitched their camp on
that eminence which attracted your
curiosity to-day. When they lighted
their fire they were started by the sight
of an unearthly figure standing before
them beneath the bending branches,
wrapped in robe of ice. The spectral
figure proved, on examination, to be the
lifeless form of poor Nancy, who, ia,
tigued with her journey thus far, had
stopped there to rest, and, falling asleep
had died of the intense cold. There
the poor girl sat, reclining her head, as
if in sleep, against the trunk of large
tree.
81 She was buried on the hillside, anC
ever since the place has been known as
Nancy's HILL There, stranger, that's
the story just as | have heard my
grandmother tell it, and she heard i
from her mother, who was hired girl
at Colonel Whipple's when Nancy wa'
at the great house. 1t is one of thu
saddest stories of these mountains"